Alright ladies and gents. I do NOT want to get the rumor mills churning. However - IMHO I think there are some peculiar things/attitudes going on in the Steelers locker room regarding both the O-line and the play calling. Combine this with Ben's comments regarding health and patchwork of O-line. I think some guys are starting to get frustrated.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is on pace to rush for just under 800 yards, which would be about a 40 percent decline from a year ago.

Mendenhall, who is averaging 3.0 yards per carry, acknowledged the lack of production is "frustrating" but stressed that the team isn't panicking. The Steelers rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing.

"It's a lot bigger than one person," Mendenhall told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's a whole mindset. It's a whole attack from the top, offensive coordinator [Bruce Arians], plays that are called that matches what we have. It's a collective effort of everybody that has to be clicking to be successful."

When asked if the philosophy of a pass-first offense has hurt the running game, Mendenhall told the paper, "We're just running what's called. We're the low men on the totem pole, and we're just trying to carry out what our duties are."

Hensley's slant: This seemed like not one, but two, jabs at Arians. Remember earlier this week that a team source told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the run calls against the Colts looked nothing like the ones they practiced the week leading up to the game. Still, it's hard to put all the blame on the offensive coordinator when the offensive line isn't opening up running lanes.

Initial thoughts? I think Mendy will be gone if he keeps it up. We can certainly find another RB. I just don't think he has ever clicked with this set of coaches and is building a little reputation here.

__________________MacReady: Beaver pics - don't think we're in much shape to do anything about this threadChilds: Well, what do we do?MacReady: Why don't we just . . .wait here and post for a little while longer . . . see what happens?

Alright ladies and gents. I do NOT want to get the rumor mills churning. However - IMHO I think there are some peculiar things/attitudes going on in the Steelers locker room regarding both the O-line and the play calling. Combine this with Ben's comments regarding health and patchwork of O-line. I think some guys are starting to get frustrated.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is on pace to rush for just under 800 yards, which would be about a 40 percent decline from a year ago.

Mendenhall, who is averaging 3.0 yards per carry, acknowledged the lack of production is "frustrating" but stressed that the team isn't panicking. The Steelers rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing.

"It's a lot bigger than one person," Mendenhall told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's a whole mindset. It's a whole attack from the top, offensive coordinator [Bruce Arians], plays that are called that matches what we have. It's a collective effort of everybody that has to be clicking to be successful."

When asked if the philosophy of a pass-first offense has hurt the running game, Mendenhall told the paper, "We're just running what's called. We're the low men on the totem pole, and we're just trying to carry out what our duties are."

Hensley's slant: This seemed like not one, but two, jabs at Arians. Remember earlier this week that a team source told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the run calls against the Colts looked nothing like the ones they practiced the week leading up to the game. Still, it's hard to put all the blame on the offensive coordinator when the offensive line isn't opening up running lanes.

Initial thoughts? I think Mendy will be gone if he keeps it up. We can certainly find another RB. I just don't think he has ever clicked with this set of coaches and is building a little reputation here.

Mendy is not the one that needs to go. The village idiot is hurting this team every day he gets to decide the direction this offense goes. Mendenhall has his flaws, but he is getting no help from his retard of a an OC. Not with the long developing runs, or the predictable, moronic playcalling and certainly not by eliminating the FB, and then trying to get TEs to play like FBs. Like Mendy said, the problems start up top. And that is Bruce "Airhead" Arians. And I'll go a step further and put it on Tomlin, because he continues to idolly stand by and watch it happen. As long as he does, we're going to see the same inconsisent, non-efficient offense we're been seeing. I take that back, it's going to get progressively worse.

Yup. Unless the offense comes out firing and we actually blow out a team I can agree with that. If we are not getting progressively worse it is at least obvious we can't put a string of great offensive executions together whether that be games in a row or even just a couple series in a row.

Ben has been more outspoken about using the no huddle but then also stating guys aren't up to speed on it enough to use it consistently. Now Mendy's comments. I think because we have all this talent and almost a quarter through the regular season we have nothing to show for it it is starting to boil a little. We need to seriously improve in terms of both scoring, inventiveness, and more importantly - utilizing plays that cater to the strengths of the guys they have it the correct situations.

The lack of a good fullback is astounding to me. It was just like "hey it has been working so well but now I'm here and I've never used one before so why would I now." Even though Tomlin came in and purposefully didn't try to change Lebeau's defense. It is much easier to put your stamp on something but much smarter to know when not to mess with a good thing, ego or pride be damned.

Seems like some things are also coming to a head with the protection issues. Comments being made by Ben about how it always seems their O-linemen are going down compared to other teams. (I'm thinking there might be a serious conditioning issue going on there) and then Kugler, by a combination of sticking by guys for too long and mechanics should be feeling some heat.

UGH - it is so frustrating to see a great D not being complimented by at least an offense that doesn't turn the ball over and can keep the other offense off the field by burning the clock and has some red zone efficiency. Even if we were scoring a few touchdowns in a row then just field goals in the end we would still be so much better than now. DUH!

__________________MacReady: Beaver pics - don't think we're in much shape to do anything about this threadChilds: Well, what do we do?MacReady: Why don't we just . . .wait here and post for a little while longer . . . see what happens?

Alright ladies and gents. I do NOT want to get the rumor mills churning. However - IMHO I think there are some peculiar things/attitudes going on in the Steelers locker room regarding both the O-line and the play calling. Combine this with Ben's comments regarding health and patchwork of O-line. I think some guys are starting to get frustrated.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is on pace to rush for just under 800 yards, which would be about a 40 percent decline from a year ago.

Mendenhall, who is averaging 3.0 yards per carry, acknowledged the lack of production is "frustrating" but stressed that the team isn't panicking. The Steelers rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing.

"It's a lot bigger than one person," Mendenhall told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's a whole mindset. It's a whole attack from the top, offensive coordinator [Bruce Arians], plays that are called that matches what we have. It's a collective effort of everybody that has to be clicking to be successful."

When asked if the philosophy of a pass-first offense has hurt the running game, Mendenhall told the paper, "We're just running what's called. We're the low men on the totem pole, and we're just trying to carry out what our duties are."

Hensley's slant: This seemed like not one, but two, jabs at Arians. Remember earlier this week that a team source told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the run calls against the Colts looked nothing like the ones they practiced the week leading up to the game. Still, it's hard to put all the blame on the offensive coordinator when the offensive line isn't opening up running lanes.

Initial thoughts? I think Mendy will be gone if he keeps it up. We can certainly find another RB. I just don't think he has ever clicked with this set of coaches and is building a little reputation here.

So he says what everybody here is saying, that the Steelers are not really committed to the running game.

Rather than start another thread regarding why the offense is horrible, i will post the link to this insightful column in the Trib-Review here

The NFL is a scoring league. The Steelers don't score enough. They have long been dependent on phenomenal defense. Isn't it time the offense stepped up, particularly with the defense looking less than phenomenal?

Did I mention the Steelers don't score enough? They're ranked 26th in points per game and only that high because the defense scored one of their six touchdowns. They have cracked the top 10 in scoring once in coordinator Bruce Arians' five years, tying for ninth in 2007....

Yeah, the line is beat up and below average. Fall's here, too. Deal with it. The Steelers have stubbornly refused to dial up reinforcements, the way Baltimore did with Bryant McKinnie, so they must believe in their people.

Roethlisberger does. He was asked yesterday how the offense might react to a Texas shootout.

"We'll be ready," he said.

The line proved it could protect Roethlisberger during a 10-point, 177-yard first quarter Sunday. But that was before Roethlisberger got careless, allowing Robert Mathis time enough to take five laps around the stadium and crash into his back, forcing a fumble that gave the Colts life.

Two turnovers later, Indy had a halftime lead...

Finally, this offense needs to find its personality. Seems obvious the quarterback and coordinator want to be a passing team. So be one. Break out the no-huddle attack that sped 60 yards for the winning field goal Sunday.

Don't abandon Mendenhall. Run to complement the pass, the way Green Bay does.

Again - the mind scratching "Let's stop doing what has worked because I'm (Arians) supposedly too smart for my own good" has got to stop. Why would you stop doing something that has worked all by yourself. You usually do it until the other team proves it can stop it right?

__________________MacReady: Beaver pics - don't think we're in much shape to do anything about this threadChilds: Well, what do we do?MacReady: Why don't we just . . .wait here and post for a little while longer . . . see what happens?